MCA - Minnesota Climbers Association

06/03/2026

Thank you, Access Fund!

The Minnesota Climbers Association applied for the Access Fund’s Anchor Replacements Fund Grant in late Summer 2025. We were awarded $2400 to go towards upgrading aging fixed anchors on He Mni Can in Red Wing, Minnesota. A big shout out to Béla VanderVoort for his dedication, leading the replacement effort. Thank you, Bela! In the last year, thirty-three routes at He Mni Can have been upgraded to stainless steel glue-ins with stainless or plated steel carabiners at the anchor. The glue-ins are projected to last 50+ years and replaced several plated-sleeve bolts that were experiencing significant corrosion.

Fixed-anchor replacements continue. If you climb at He Mni Can, please consider contributing to the MCA to support this work.

06/03/2026

Thank you, Access Fund!

The Minnesota Climbers Association applied for the Access Fund’s Anchor Replacements Fund Grant in late Summer 2025. We were awarded $2400 to go towards upgrading aging fixed anchors on He Mni Can in Red Wing, Minnesota. A big shout out to Béla VanderVoort for his dedication leading the replacement effort. Thank you Bela! In the last year, thirty-three routes at He Mni Can have been upgraded to stainless steel glue-ins with stainless or plated steel carabiners at the anchor. The glue-ins are projected to last 50+ years and replaced several plated-sleeve bolts that were experiencing significant corrosion.

Fixed-anchor replacements continue. If you climb at He Mni Can, please consider contributing to the MCA to support this work.

05/28/2026

Our friends at North Shore VertiGals are throwing the first annual Camp VertiGals, a weekend of camping, community and climbing!

Registration and more:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/camp-vertigals-2026-tickets-1986992165054?aff=oddtdtcreator

05/20/2026

The 2025 storm that swept through the North Shore neighborhood had a devastating effect on Tettegouche State Park. Several trees that were used as top-rope anchors at Shovel Point were lost.

Last Friday (5/15) marked the one-year anniversary of the storm and MCA board member Ed Lysne led an effort to meet with stakeholders to work out climbing-anchor solutions. Ed, The Duluth Climbers Coalition, a climbing community member and representatives from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources hiked out to Shovel Point to revisit the damage and discuss where fixed anchors would be needed to take the place of lost trees.
The DNR is currently working through the channels to ensure quality fixed anchor sites, however, they don’t have a set timeline for fixed anchors to be installed. We all hope to know more soon.

We want to give the DNR a big shout-out for working with the climbing community to ensure safe access to the routes on Shovel Point with the addition of more top-side fixed anchors. In the meantime, the DNR asks that all climbers using Shovel Point do not block trails with anchor material and to use padding material to protect the bark on trees to preserve what’s left.

Thank you Ed, The DCC and DNR for your efforts!

05/18/2026

We have some exciting events ahead you dont wanna miss - put it on your cals, grab a friend and throw yourself into the Minnesota (and Wisconsin ;)) climbing community, its going to be a good time!

05/11/2026

Climbers of MN!
As Spring unfolds, the MCA team works hand-in-hand with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources on Peregrine Falcon nesting on the North Shore.

The DNR team at Tettegouche State Park has identified a nesting pair of highly aggressive Peregrine falcons on Shovel Point, and also have the regular nesting pair on Palisade Head.

As a result, the below listed climbs are closed for the nesting season.
There are signs on or near the routes that are affected by these closures, as well as at the kiosk at Shovel Point.

Shovel Point:
-Soldier of God
-I Laughed, I cried, It Became Part of Me
-The Great Yawn
-Undercover
-Gold plated

Palisade Head:
-Yellow Feather
-Oz
-A Mind Forever Voyaging
-Danger High Voltage (the nest is right on this route)
-A Feathery Tong

Observing and respecting the closures at both Palisade Head and Shovel Pointe is absolutely critical to both the health of the regions falcon populations, and also protecting climbing access in MN state parks.

The MCA is proud to work closely with the MN DNR to help bring awareness of these closures each and every year.

Let us know in the comments if there are any questions, or reach out via the "contact us" form on our website. (https://www.mnclimbers.org/contact)

Happy climbing.

05/08/2026

Attention climbing community:

We have been getting reports of people climbing in non-designated areas of state parks.

PLEASE make sure to climb only in designated areas as to not jeopardize access for everyone. While it might seem harmless to you - these actions can also threaten critical field work preserving native plant species. If you are not sure where designated areas are, please refer to the State Park office, or reach out to the MCA. Thank you for respecting these requests and helping us foster good relationships with our State Park and land owners.

-MCA

04/07/2026

North Shore Update

The Minnesota Climbers Association is currently working with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources on some Tettegouche State Park access concerns.

The 2025 storm that swept the North Shore impacted Shovel Point and many tree anchors used for popular climbs were lost. The DNR has been focused on cleaning up the area of downed trees. The MCA, and other stakeholders, are working closely with the DNR to determine if additional fixed anchors are needed to provide continued access to these routes. The DNR assured us that all routes on Shovel Point are open, as long as top anchors can be set up without crossing established hiking trails.

The cliffs of Tettegouche State Park are ideal locations for nesting Peregrine Falcons. When nesting occurs in sites where climbing is allowed the DNR temporarily closes the climbing routes in the vicinity of the nesting birds. The DNR asks that climbers pay close attention to those signs and stay clear of the nesting areas. If climbers find additional nesting sites on routes that haven’t been closed, stop climbing in that location and notify park staff of any new nesting sites so they can also be closed until the young birds have left the nest. Sadly, the DNR has seen nests fail due to climbing activity in the past. If you observe other climbers ignoring closures please engage in some self-policing within the community, highlighting the importance of respecting the closure. Reporting violations to park staff is hopefully an option of last resort. The potential for broader closures due to nesting, if continually ignored, is a real possibility.
Tettegouche State Park Visitor Center: 218-353-8800

Fill out climbing permits! Every season, every Minnesota state park. They are free and take a few minutes to complete. These permits help the DNR understand how many climbers they serve in state parks and provide an opportunity for them to communicate the rules and expectations of the area.

Camping in Forest Campgrounds – Starting May 1st, 2026 all campgrounds in Minnesota State Forests will allow same-day advanced registration through the web-based Yodel portal. Here is a link to the payment page. https://yodelportal.com/MNDNR. Visitors are encouraged to pay for their camping before arriving at the campground. Advanced payment can be made for up to 14 nights on the day of arrival only, and visitors must be physically present each night. Campers cannot occupy a site until they have paid, and they must use the camping payment card found on site to display their confirmation number and length of stay. This affects all state forests campgrounds that climbers love, Finland and Eckbeck.

More to come.
The MCA

01/14/2026

A fantastic and celebration worthy bit of news from our neighbors to the east!

The DNR heard us loud and clear yesterday! The proposed definition of climbing that would have led to a ban on bouldering in State Natural Areas has been shelved! The DNR will work with the climbing community on new definitions. Climbers’ written comments, spoken testimonies, and even poetry showed the DNR that we are paying attention and we want to work together to keep bouldering on state-managed lands. Woo hoo! Thank you, and stay tuned as this work continues.

📸 Joel Ledvina